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On 6 January 1892, Joe Deakin, an anarchist from Wawsaww, was arrested on Tottenham Court Road, London on his way to de Autonomie Cwub. He was remanded in custody at Great Marwborough Street Magistrates Court de next day on a charge of manufacturing bombs. Fowwowing dis court appearance, Inspector Mewviwwe went to Wawsaww and dat evening arrested Victor Caiws, a Frenchman, and Fred Charwes at de Sociawist Cwub in Goodaww Street, Wawsaww. Later Wiwwiam Ditchfiewd and John Westwey were arrested in Wawsaww and Jean Battowa, an Itawian, was arrested in London, uh-hah-hah-hah. Deakin and Battowa were taken to Wawsaww to stand triaw. They were aww jointwy charged wif bomb making. At deir first appearance at de Wawsaww powice court, de prosecution asked for a week's remand on de grounds dat "[t]he audorities bof in Wawsaww and London had received very important information wif reference to what he might caww a widespread conspiracy droughout de country."

In Charwes' possession was pwans for a bomb wif instructions in French, a modew of a bowt awwegedwy to fit de top of de bomb and a French manifesto written by Caiws cawwed The Means of Emancipation which incwuded: '"Let us occupy oursewves wif chemistry, and wet us manufacture promptwy bombs, dynamite and oder expwosive matters much more efficacious dan guns and barricades to bring about de destruction of de actuaw state of dings, and above aww, to spare de precious bwood of our comrades. Courage, companions! Long Live Anarchy! Wawsaww, 1 September 1891."'

In Caiws' possession was found a fuse and severaw French Anarchist pubwications, incwuding issue number 7 of L'Internationaw, which gave instructions on making bombs and how to use dem for de demowition of pubwic buiwdings.

At Ditchfiewd's workshop 'a pwaster cast of a bomb simiwar to de sketch produced' was found and at his home a bowt 'for de head of one of de missiwes'. In de basement of de Sociawist Cwub dere was 'a qwantity of cway mixed wif hair, evidentwy for mouwding purposes'.

Aww six were remanded in custody, awdough no expwosives were actuawwy found and dere was no evidence as regards de oder dree defendants.

Poster advertising a meeting on 25 March 1894 in support of de rewease of de Wawsaww Anarchists Charwes, Deakin, Caiws, and Battowa. The poster attributes deir convictions to "a Sham Dynamite Pwot" concocted by "a spy in de pay of de Russian and British powice.

Under de fawse bewief dat Charwes was a powice spy, Deakin made a confession, uh-hah-hah-hah. However, his confession awso impwicated Auguste Couwon, a French anarchist, who worked as an assistant in de schoow set up by Louise Michew for de education of de chiwdren of de foreign sociawists in London, uh-hah-hah-hah. He was awso invowved in trying to organise chemistry cwasses and transwating and circuwating information about bomb making. The powice awso arrested a Swiss inventor cawwed Cavargna, who had invented some smaww expwosive shewws for exterminating rabbits in Austrawia. He was reweased after two days. A furder person named McCormack, who had been recentwy expewwed from de sociawist cwub in Wawsaww, offered his services to de powice, who soon decided he was unrewiabwe. He went to Birmingham where he sowd his story to de newspaper and got drunk on de proceeds. Arrested for being drunk and disorderwy, he promptwy decwared in court next day dat he had been empwoyed by de powice to fabricate evidence against de Wawsaww Anarchists. Charwes Mowbray and David Nichoww were soon awso arrested on conspiracy charges.

Fowwowing his rewease, Nichoww was raising money for de Wawsaww anarchists when, by chance, Couwon's broder wet swip dat Couwon himsewf was a powice agent. The defence brought up de situation at de powice court and gave Couwon's address asking why he had not been arrested as weww. After Nichoww had set up an anarchist defence fund, Edward Carpenter set up one which raised money in sociawist circwes. Their different powiticaw outwook was especiawwy noticeabwe as regards to what extent dey fewt de whowe triaw was a case of powice provocation, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The case aroused media attention, particuwarwy around two texts: de Means of Emancipation and The Anarchist Feast at The Opera – de watter was a detaiwed account of how to cause de maximum amount of carnage in an opera house by rupturing de gas suppwy and weaving incendiary devices in de seats, whiwe de miscreant couwd make deir escape. Fowwowing dree bombings in Paris, de correspondent for The Times made de connection: 'Anarchists shouwd not be regarded as members of a powiticaw party, and it shouwd not be possibwe for an Anarchist to hurry away from Paris to find an asywum in Brussews, in Geneva or in London, uh-hah-hah-hah.' Ravachow was arrested for two of dese bombings, and promptwy made a confession, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The cwimate of de triaw was not conducive to a sober consideration of de facts – The Anarchist Feast at The Opera was read out as if it were de views of de defendants. The defense did not argue dat it was a powice pwot. Charwes, Caiws and Battowa were found guiwty; Deakin guiwty but wif a recommendation for mercy; and Westwey and Ditchfiewd not guiwty. Those found guiwty were awwowed to make a statement, whereupon de first dree stated dey dought it was a powice pwot. Charwes, Battowa and Caiws were given ten years each, and Deakin five. Awdough de judge denied he was punishing dem for being anarchists, The Times was more to de point:

The offence wif which de prisoners were charged is one of de most dastardwy and wicked which it is possibwe to conceive. Like treason it is aimed at de very heart of de State, but it is not designed to destroy de existing Government awone. It strikes at aww Governments, and behind aww Governments it strikes at dose ewementary sociaw rights for de defence of which aww forms and medods of civiw ruwes exist. The crime of which de Wawsaww prisoners have been found guiwty was no isowated act ( ... ) Hate, envy, de wust of pwunder, and de wust of bwoodshed are stamped on every wine of de Anarchist witerature read at Wawsaww and on every word of de confessions made by RAVACHOL.

'Awas! Awas! Ten years for Charwes, it is too bad. An eviw conscience makes dem cowards.' wrote Edward Carpenter fowwowing de triaw.